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How Crazy Justice is bringing Battle Royale action to Switch
The Switch doesn't have a Battle Royale game yet, but that’s set to change very soon, thanks to Black Riddles Studios.
Unless you've been stuck in an especially remote cave for the past year, you'll know that Battle Royale is the game mode of choice for many online players these days. Titles like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite have become household names practically overnight, attracting millions of players and convincing publishers like Activision to introduce the popular "winner takes all" mode to established franchises like Call of Duty. If you own a PC, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, then you're well-served when it comes to Battle Royale options right now – but what about the other key console, the Nintendo Switch?
Nintendo's unique hybrid system has enjoyed bumper sales and a flood of amazing games since it broke cover early last year, but thus far it hasn't had a bite of the Battle Royale pie. Siblings Gergo and Balazs Welker of indie developer Black Riddles Studios are looking to change that with Crazy Justice, a steampunk-inspired shooter which is shaping up to be a lot more than just another Fortnite clone.
"When we formed the studio, we worked freelance for many other companies," explains 23-year-old Balazs when asked how he and his 18-year-old brother got started in the industry. The pair also took part in competitions held by organisations such as NASA; they even got to work on NASA's Robonaut 2 Simulation. The two are clearly talented individuals and they're now choosing to apply their enviable skills to the world of interactive entertainment.
On the surface, it's easy to see similarities between Crazy Justice and the many other over-the-shoulder third-person shooters on the market right now. However, the game's genesis wasn't inspired by a particular game or genre, according to Balazs. "The base idea came from a few steampunk, 'cartoonish' weapons, then we started to create a universe around those." Labour is divided as evenly as possible between the two siblings. "My brother is working on the characters, animations and assets, while I’m working on the programming, concept and user interface."
There's a lot more to the game than just a Battle Royale mode, and Balazs is keen to stress that he and his brother aren't simply jumping on the bandwagon for the sake of it. "The main difference is the 23 selectable heroes with their customisable skill decks," he says. "These features make the game more unique and add more content. Meanwhile, we're planning air vehicles for later updates, which also brings something different to the Battle Royale template."
Given that Crazy Justice is combining two very popular things – the Nintendo Switch and Battle Royale – it's only natural that it’s generated interest in the gaming media. While Epic Games have previously stated that it’s open to the idea of Fortnite coming to Switch and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds could easily be ported – given that it's already on smartphones anyway – Crazy Justice could well find that it has Nintendo's console all to itself when it comes to the Battle Royale genre. This focus naturally brings with it increased pressure. "Many people are interested in the game – we can see it, especially in the number of the pre-orders," reveals Balazs. "So we’d like to create something cool for them, which means that we’re working really hard on it, sometimes 22 hours a day."
Get a taste of Crazy Justice in this preview video:
Balazs is also impressed with Switch from a technical perspective and says that he and his brother are trying to exploit the unique elements of the hardware as much as possible. "We try to use all of the features of Nintendo Switch, because it’s a powerful device with many possibilities," he explains. "For UI interactions, we’ve included touchscreen support. For better aiming, we’ve included optional motion control. Due to the portability of the device, we’re working on a split-screen feature for all game modes and the story mode will be playable with a single Joy-Con."
Unlike its rivals, Crazy Justice's story campaign is aiming for a truly robust and gripping experience. "The story mode will be mainly on semi-open world maps, which gives players a better game experience – moreover, they’ve got more control over the game," Balazs explains. "The main story will be about four to five hours, without side quests. During the story, players can learn how to play the game and how the main mechanics – like vehicles – work in the game."
Black Riddles are aiming to give players a stronger connection with their avatar, too; instead of populating the game with characters that are little more than cosmetic skins with the same basic attributes, Crazy Justice's 23-strong cast – each one blessed with a particular talent – will afford the player a wide range of play-style options. "All of the heroes have a different special skill," says Balazs. "Players can then manually select their second, third and fourth skill, and bind it to a button. There will be skills such as invisibility, faster running, higher jumping and ammo spawns, as well as many others. To use all of these skills, players have to collect energy bulbs hidden within the environment and in loot boxes; also, after an enemy is killed you can collect their energy bulbs."
These supplementary skills also hold the key to Crazy Justice's building features. One of Fortnite's key selling points is the ability to construct bases during battle; Crazy Justice will offer a similar approach, bonded to the aforementioned skill system. "Players can create a 'builder deck' so he or she is able to spawn traps, walls or defensive systems, such as turrets."
Assigning special skills to each character isn't the only way in which Crazy Justice is setting itself apart from the crowd; the game will also boast a cover system not entirely dissimilar to that seen in Gears of War – the world-famous shooter series made by Fortnite studio Epic Games. "Other Battle Royale games haven't got a cover or climbing system," says Balazs with some degree of pride. "Using these features, players can navigate their heroes more efficiently."
Then there are the weapons themselves. Given that the entire game was inspired by a single steampunk piece of armament, it's perhaps no surprise that Black Riddles Studios are spending a lot of time honing this particular aspect of Crazy Justice. "In the Battle Royale modes, players have to collect loot, which will include weapons and gadgets," Balazs comments. "Meanwhile, in other modes, you can use your already collected and upgraded weapons. The players can get cash for kills, supporting other players, assists and following a successfully finished round, or for a first place in Battle Royale. With the collected cash, they can further enhance their weapons."
Speaking of modes, Crazy Justice will have plenty to sink your teeth into when it eventually arrives: five modes are promised at launch, in fact. "There's a normal Battle Royale, a Battle Royale with custom skill decks based on the players, a Survive mode with sectors, a Deathmatch and a Capture the Flag mode. Next to these modes, players can play the story in co-op and in offline mode you can play a Battle Royale against AI."
As well as hitting Switch, Crazy Justice is bound for PS4, Xbox One and PC. Black Riddles is ambitiously planning cross-play support for the title's online modes across all of these systems, bar the PS4. "Our cross-play feature is working with Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch," Balazs explains. "At the moment we haven’t got the rights from Sony, but our studio is open to including PS4. The hardest part is mainly the balance. PC players have a huge advantage with the mouse and keyboard interface; we're giving console players motion controls and a little aim assist to compensate. After our in-house tests, these are the best solutions to balance the cross-play, but as I mentioned, players always have the option to disable it and only play against people on the same system as them."
Crazy Justice has already met its funding goal of US$30,000 on the Fig crowdfunding platform, but interested parties can still contribute to that total and be assured of getting a copy when it launches; they'll also help Black Riddles hit its stretch goals and make the final product even more polished. The aim is to release Crazy Justice in June, and the Welker brothers are already thinking about how they can support the title post-launch. "We're going to support Crazy Justice for the long-term," says Balazs. "We’re planning updates which including new outfits, gadgets and weapons, as well as 'seasons' with new modes and skills. Finally, there will be expansion packs that include new heroes, new stories, additional maps and modes for the multiplayer part."
Crazy Justice will be hitting Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC in 2018.
